Page 10

Chapter 10

Beatriz

A day had passed since Cosme had promised to speak to Papá, and yet no summons to the throne room had arrived and Monserrat was still in Giddel. Laude insisted that we must continue our studies on ancient history, and though the subject only held a mild interest for me, I snatched the candy bag from my desk and obliged my friend.

Slits of light cut across a quarter of the enormous library and touched the edge of our table. Laude hunched over a dusty tome and gasped. “Is this true?”

“I’d like to know the truth.” I pushed a small bowl of encanelados across the table, even though enticing her to speak hadn’t worked for the past several hours.

Her focus remained trained on the page, oblivious to my mood. She grabbed a couple of walnuts. “Why didn’t we think of having candies at our study sessions before?” She popped the treat into her mouth. Her wild red curls framed her toothy grin.

“Perhaps I wasn’t so desperate for conversation in the past.” The lilt of my voice was pure acid. I wouldn’t admit I was wrong in how I’d manipulated Cosme until she admitted what she was hiding from me.

The voice in my head reminded me: You have secrets too.

I clenched the armrest on my chair. My secrets weren’t the same as Laude’s. The curse on Monserrat’s information swelled my tongue any time I tried to share the news.

“Did you know that the Himzos are the keepers of magical relics, and that’s why they don’t receive personal giftings?” Her voice rose an octave. “This should be talked about more.”

When I shrugged, she read aloud from her book. “At the start of the Agata Sea ages, the children of the beyond were transported into Valle de los Fantasmas from a fallen world. They brought relics with them. Some to enhance their abilities, others to prevent abilities from growing out of control, a relic to tell the future, and one to prolong life. The last relic had the seeds of the fountain of life and could rejuvenate a person’s body.” She peeled her riveted expression toward me and flattened the book on the table. Black ink illustrations decorated the outer edge of the pages.

Tingles of apprehension sped along my arms. Was Monserrat’s map truly the location of the last relic? I leaned forward to get a better view of the drawings and caught sight of a pocket watch sketched in the margins. The intricate lines circling the metal reminded me of the gift I’d once received. What had happened to it?

Laude snapped the book closed and leaned over the table like she had something important to share. “What if Zichri was a keeper of the relics?” A glimmer of mystery shone in her eyes. “He probably has dreams about your future together, your wedding, and all your little babies.” The awe in her voice grated against my nerves, especially since my only chance to see Zichri lay in Cosme’s hands.

Frustration tiptoed across my forehead, but I didn’t think it prudent to vent if I ever wanted to get Laude to disclose what she and my brother were hiding. I sighed. “The Himzo king is the keeper of the relics, not Zichri. He has two elder brothers, which means he’s not likely to ever be the king.”

“Something tells me you’re still mad?” Laude plopped the dusty tome on top of a stack of history books. “Shouldn’t you be happy about Cosme agreeing to help you?”

Despite my best efforts, my nose flared over tight lips. Their secrecy stabbed like a dagger through my back. Then there was the fact that Monserrat remained at the palace, spewing lies. I should fling the papers at my brother instead of holding back. This manipulation was what the old Beatriz would have done—the one who’d only thought about herself. Guilt wrangled my heart, but I didn’t reach for my sleeve pocket to share my burden with Laude.

The library door creaked open. Papá’s majordomo strode between the long empty tables and ornately cushioned seats to our spot at the center of the room. “His Majesty requests your presence.”

I stood. “To what does this pertain?”

He smirked under his thin mustache. “King Ezer requested he give you the message personally.”

A vicious smile curled on my cheeks, and I had to fight the urge to let out a girly squeal. The majordomo reflected my sentiment in the way he spun on his heel and motioned for us to follow him out the door.

Laude and I trailed him through the back corridor. The tip-tap of our shoes echoed in a discordant rhythm. Laude strolled with a bounce to her step like there wasn’t a worry in all Agata.

Tingles raced up and down my arms, tempting me to reach into Laude’s and the cocky majordomo’s minds to make them feel guilty and to pressure them into leaking every one of their secrets. But the memory of what had happened to Lux rang through my soul, and I pressed my fingernails into my palms. I couldn’t use my gifting again.

We passed through the empty atrium with sunlight slicing through the many windows above. Another pair of servants opened the double doors to the throne room. The large space stood before us like a yawning cave with gilded teeth. The majordomo bowed and slid away to a spot at the back of the room, but I wouldn’t get such a luxury.

Laude and I trekked forward. At the center, Papá clutched the armrest of his throne, and upon seeing me, he relaxed his grip. A man whose flowing locks were peppered with gray stood before him with his back toward us.

Papá waited for my quick curtsy and said, “Your Uncle Uly has just arrived. Lessons start tomorrow after breakfast. So be it. You and Laude are dismissed.” He called for the majordomo at the back of the room with the flick of two fingers. “Have my brother stay in the North Hall.”

“But Papá!” I couldn’t hold back the bark in my voice.

“As you wish.” The majordomo bowed.

“Please, Papá.”

Uncle Uly spun and met my gaze with a warm smile. I had seen him on my trip into Valle de los Fantasmas, and he had helped me get to the ruins to meet the whyzer assigned to bestow my gifting. Uncle Uly had given me a nudge in Zichri’s direction when I was confused about my feelings. This would have been a happy reunion if it weren’t for the circumstances.

I allowed my lips to stretch into a smile despite the tumult inside of me. It wasn’t Uncle Uly’s fault that Papá had forced his will, and it surely wasn’t his fault that Lux had died.

“Until tomorrow,” Uncle Uly said.

The majordomo led my uncle out the double doors. Finally, when the doors clicked shut, I lifted my chin to Papá. My next words needed to slice through his iron will. Hot breaths puffed out my chest with all the frustration and helplessness I couldn’t contain.

Papá’s knuckles grew white on his armrests. “Daughter, you must attend those lessons. That’s part of Cosme’s agreement.”

Hot blood shot through my body. I slid a glare at Laude, who wouldn’t meet my eyes. “What is your agreement with Cosme?”

“If you send Cosme to speak for you, surely you should know his terms.” Papá’s tone remained firm.

Perhaps he’d budge if I let him know about Aracibel’s betrayal. I opened my mouth, but my tongue tightened. “You mus—”

A gargle escaped my throat.

I snapped my mouth closed and rubbed my suddenly swollen neck.

“Princess”—Laude leaned closer—“are you sick? Should I get you a cup of water?”

“No,” I croaked. It was all I could enunciate. An ache tugged from my neck to my shoulders. A heaviness weighed in my sleeve from Monserrat’s parchments. I ripped the papers from their hiding place.

But a loud knock echoed through the room.

“Hija ”—Papá massaged his forehead—“I have an important meeting with diplomats from Pedroz. I’d prefer they didn’t see you. Surely, you understand.” He gestured toward a door to the right of him. His words hammered through my chest with the rest of his meaning. The stewards of Pedroz would not be pleased to see their beloved prince’s killer.

But I still needed to show him the letters. I stepped toward Papá and shoved the papers at him.

Papá waved the parchment aside. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Laude nudged my elbow and prodded me toward the door. I would have screamed if my throat hadn’t been throbbing.

The moment I hit the dark corridor to the king’s lounge, my shoulders eased. We crossed between the various couches and flung the doors open to a back passageway. My tongue loosened enough for me to lift it to my upper palate.

Every muscle in my face contorted with the frustration I couldn’t communicate, and Laude had the misfortune of proximity. I shoved the papers at her. “Read.”

She fumbled the pages and dropped one. With quick reflexes, she retrieved it with a triumphant whistle. “Got it.” Her rosy cheeks blanched as her eyes grazed along the pages. “So, Cosme’s not getting married?”

I shook my head.

“Why didn’t you tell him? How can Princess Monserrat lead him on? And then invite you to a ball on the same night!”

Footfalls echoed behind Laude. We twisted to see who else was traveling the back passageway and caught Cosme and Monserrat, holding hands. Their level of affection grew each day she stayed. Why all the pretense if Monserrat knew they’d never amount to anything?

“You tell him.” I tipped my head toward the couple approaching us. This would be the test. If Laude shouted the contents of the documents, then it had been just a spell placed on me, but if she couldn’t speak, then it was the papers.

Laude lifted her skirt a fraction and stormed toward Cosme. “I need to talk to you.”

Cosme and Monserrat strolled to meet a huffing Laude.

But upon their meeting, Cosme stared down at Laude who clutched her neck with one hand. She squeaked, but not a single word escaped her throat. My garrulous friend had been struck silent.

Monserrat’s smooth veneer stiffened, and she flicked a glare in my direction as if to say, you broke your promise.

Though nerves scrambled through my chest, I pursed my lips and straightened my back with confidence. I wasn’t wrong. She said she’d be gone by now, and they carried on in such a way that would leave my brother an emotional wreck.

Laude continued to grunt and shoved the papers at him.

Monserrat yanked Cosme’s arm. “We should head into town.”

But Laude kept the parchments under Cosme’s nose. Her determination couldn’t be doubted.

Cosme took the papers, opened each parchment with furrowed brows, and read.

Monserrat attempted to dislodge his grasp. “You promised a stroll through town. No interruptions.”

He laughed. “Our quesitos will still be warm even with a short delay.” He continued to read.

Monserrat shrunk away from him, panic painted on her slender features.

The truth settled over Cosme’s countenance like a bucket of cold water sloshed atop his cropped hair. Even with our victory, Laude and I huddled together, downcast.

Cosme folded the parchments and gave them to me. The coldness in his eyes bore through my skin. “How long have you known?”

I managed to whisper. “There’s a curse on the words.”

“How long?” Cosme Adam’s apple bobbed with emotion.

“A few days.” I cast a look at Laude, unable to meet my brother’s gaze.

He tilted his head downward and marched past Monserrat.

Monserrat reached for his arm, but he dodged her touch. Tears streamed along each of her cheeks, and she turned her attention to Laude and me. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”